Author
Topic: Humans (Read 24957 times)

Humans are, for the most part, the average to which all other races are compared. They can average anywhere between five and six feet tall, although some are notably smaller or bigger than that. Weight usually runs anywhere from one twenty to close to two hundred, although like height, it can fluctuate wildly. Their hair, eye, and skin colors have no average, and seem to cover an extreme range. Humans can and do live pretty much everywhere. They have no racial language, and nearly all speak Common.

The elves are the second most common race in Antasia, the first being humans. Elves are usually about three-fourths the size of an average human, and are usually slender. They are usually very agile, and deceptively strong. An elf's vision is usually about twice as good as a human's, and most of them can see well in the dark. An elf's hearing is also usually better than a human's. Elves generally have pointed ears and somewhat angled features. Elves usually have green, blue, or purple eyes, and either very fair hair and complexions or very dark hair and dusky complexions, although there have been elves who had very fair hair and dusky complexions, and vice versa. There are some tribes of elves who prefer green over all colors, but others don't. Some elves are considered to have very beautiful voices, and most love music. They can make some of the best musical instruments to be found. Elves can live pretty much anywhere, but they usually prefer forested areas and other secluded places. Some races consider them to be snobbish and egotistical as a whole. Most elves speak Elfin and Common, and some speak Sylvan.

Drow are sometimes called the dark elves, but they are not truly a division of elves. They are generally about the same height of an average elf, although they are not as slender. They are generally not quite as agile as elves, but are generally a bit stronger. Their senses are pretty much on par with those of elves. Their complexions are usually fairly dark, though their hair is usually a light shade. Their eyes are generally blue, brown, purple, or black. The drow are generally very private individuals, sometimes to the point of being hermit-like. Their features are usually sharply angled, and they have pointed ears like elves. There are few large communities of drow. Tribes are usually quite small, sometimes as small as five or six families. Drow generally prefer large caverns as opposed to forests. Drow, like elves, usually have a deep fondness for music. Some also have an interest in mechanical things and clockworks, and a drow clock or clockwork toy is usually considered a prize. Drow are not too fond goblins, and are usually quite uncomfortable around dwarves. For some odd reason, they seem to get along with the loner cat-kin. It takes a lot to provoke a drow, but once he's mad, it's usually a bad thing. Drow are generally considered surly and nearly xenophobic by some races. They usually speak Drow, Undercommon, and Common. About half can also speak Elfin.

Gnomes are fairly small, usually an average of three and half feet tall. They are slender, and quite agile. As a whole, they are curious and fun loving. They have excellent vision and hearing, and usually have good night sight. They generally have dusky complexions and dark hair and eyes. They are very social creatures. Like drow, goblins, and dwarves, they prefer subterranean caverns. They get along with pretty much everybody, and as a race, have better relations with the drow and the goblins than any other, and usually facilitate diplomatic relations between the two. Gnomes are considered some of the best weavers in Antasia, and their goods are highly sought after. Very large races such as centaurs, spectrals, and even some of the larger humans and elves make them nervous. Gnomes can always find allies if they need them. Gnomes usually speak Gnomish, Undercommon, and Common, and about half can also speak Drow and Gob.

Halflings, as the name implies, are about half the size of humans, with similar proportions. They generally have fair hair and complexions and dark eyes. Their facial features are reminiscent of elfin features, but they do not generally have the pointed ears. Their hearing is very keen, even better than that of an elf, and high pitched noises bother them. Their sight is usually halfway between that of humans and elves. They like to be entertained, and to entertain others, and many are performers of one sort or another. Many love elfin instruments, but sometimes have to work out a deal to have them made on a smaller scale. They are usually quite peaceful, but paradoxically are sometimes considered to be the best weaponsmiths in Antasia. Gnomes, goblins, faeries, and other small races prize halfling-made weaponry. Some members of the larger races do too. Settlements of halflings can be found just about everywhere, mostly near large groups of other races. Larger races can and do make them nervous. Halflings are usually welcome almost everywhere. They, like elves, seem to prefer the woods. Halflings usually speak Sylvan and Common.

Dwarves, in general, are a little taller than most gnomes, usually about four feet. They are stocky, and are not usually very agile. They are often quite strong, sometimes as strong as a large human or elf. They usually have broad faces. Their sight is generally so keen that strong lights sometimes hurt their eyes. Their hearing is usually a little better than that of a human. Their eyes, hair and complexions cover as broad a range as those of humans. Beards are considered fashionable among dwarf men, and the longer the better. They are one of the subterranean races. They love beauty and good craftsmanship. They are considered the authorities on metals and gemstones, and dwarven weapons and jewelry are highly valued by almost every other race. Dwarf metal smiths are sometimes even employed by human and elfin royalty. They are not particularly social people, and can be hard to get along with sometimes. Dwarves generally don't get along with goblins, although currently, there is a sort of armed truce in effect. They usually try to avoid other races when possible. They generally don't like the drow, although they will deal with them if they have to. Most other races consider them to be antisocial, sometimes even more so than the drow. Dwarves usually speak Dwarven, Undercommon, and Common.

Faeries are creatures about three fourths the size of elves, with about the same proportions. This makes them about half the size of humans, and a little more slender than halflings. They have brightly colored wings such as a butterfly might have. Their features are usually angled like an elf's, and they have pointed ears. They usually have fair hair and dusky complexions, and dark eyes. Their sight is very good, about on par with that of halflings. Their hearing is a little bit less sensitive than that of an elf. They love music, and can sometimes be seen near elfin camps. They love to have fun, and help others have fun. Fae dolls, toys, and games are very well loved, and can be found in nearly every market in Antasia. The fairies hardly ever go to cities themselves, but halflings are usually more than happy to take fae toys to market for them. Faeries usually live around secluded streams and rivers. They generally don't like goblins, and large creatures can make them nervous. They seem to get along well with spectrals, and are one of the few races that have good relations with the cat-kin. Faeries usually speak Sylvan and Common. Some also speak Fae (it's an arcane language).

The spectrals are a somewhat secretive race. They are nearly identical to humans in regards to build, features, and senses. On average, they run a little taller than most humans, about seven feet tall. They come in all colors of the rainbow (such as blue). They love music, but are experts at anything involving light or color. The spectrals possess some latent magical ability, and are the only race that knows how to make magic mirrors. Some also make dyes used by gnomic weavers. They usually live near streams, rivers, or waterfalls. They are generally fond of faeries, being fascinated by their multicolored wings. They usually also get along with elves, but don't go out of their way to be near them. They like isolated areas. They don't get along too well with goblins, and as a whole, consider the centaurs hopelessly stuck up. Spectrals usually speak Spectrali, Sylvan, and Common. Some also speak Fae, and some others speak Draconic (yet another arcane language).

Centaurs are half-human, half-equine creatures (I assume no further explanation is necessary). They generally stand about eight and a half feet tall. Their features are generally angled like those of an elf, and they have pointed ears. Their sight is usually equal to that of a human, but their hearing is almost as good as a halfling's, and high-pitched noises can bother them as well. A centaur's coloring can vary; their human half is usually dusky, and their horse half could be any color that an ordinary horse might be. Their hair is usually the same color as their tail. Centaurs are quite fast, and usually extremely intelligent. They are usually very strong. Centaurs can make very good teachers, and most seem to choose that profession. Most major cities try to have at least one school with at least one centaur on faculty. Many have more. All three universities have at least two centaurs on staff, and the Imperial University in Crystal City has five, and is trying to hire another. Centaurs are generally well respected because of their intelligence, but are some times considered snobbish for the same reason. The smaller races are usually nervous around the centaurs, because of their extreme size in comparison. Centaurs have trouble getting along with the spectrals, whom they consider silly, and seem to actively dislike the cat-kin. Centaurs can live just about everywhere, and seem to prefer urban areas. Centaurs usually speak Centauri and Common. About three quarters can also speak Undercommon. Some can also speak Sylvan and Elfin. A few can speak the arcane languages.

The cat-kin are feline humanoids. They are generally a little smaller than elves. They have short fur on most of their bodies, ears and eyes like a cat's, and some have tails and whiskers. Some have angled features. They are quite fast and agile. Their sight is quite good, and most can see in the dark. Their hearing is usually on par with an elf's. Their eyes are usually green or yellow. Their coloring can vary wildly; some have coloring like big cats, and some have coloring like smaller cats. Their hair also varies, and seems to depend on the rest of their coloring. The cat-kin are loners on the whole, and don't even spend that much time around their own kind. They like to live in the wilderness in general, but some like big cities. They can make excellent guides, and can make very good money as such. Some prefer a rogue's life. Most are often fascinated by history and magic. They distrust most other races, but get along well with the faeries, and inexplicably, the drow. They don't care much for centaurs, and gnomes and halflings can get on their nerves. Cat-kin can usually speak Jellicle (you probably don't want to know if you don't recognize it), Sylvan, and Common. About half can also speak the arcane languages.

Goblins are the race that takes some doing to like. In general, they are a little bigger than halflings. Their sight and hearing are about as good as a gnome's. They have features similar to human features, but their ears are pointed. They are very agile and quick. In general, they are very dark or very fair, depending on the tribe. They are one of the subterranean races, and like their privacy. They can make excellent guides underground, and some are very good armorsmiths, sometimes even outdoing the dwarves, which does not help diplomatic relations between the two. It is said that goblins have access to and know how to use dragon scales, which are nearly impervious. They are one of the few races that doesn't care much for music, which may be one reason so many races don't get along with them. The goblins seem to genuinely like the gnomes, but that's about it. They don't like dwarves, have trouble getting along with drow, and don't even really try to get along with faeries and spectrals. Goblins can usually speak Gob, Undercommon, and Common. Some can also speak Draconic.

A very bardic world with nearly everyone liking music. Are there different predominate tastes as far as races go? Like do the dwarves like hunting ballads with drums and horns, Elves like arias with woodwinds and strings, humans like sea chantys and a little bit of everything, spectrals like the Smurfs theme ? Do goblins and spectrals have any distinctive facial features or body types that sets them farther apart from normal humanoids? Ridges, knobby bumps, scaly skin? Can, and if so how much, can faeries fly? Do they cocoon? Do centaurs wear clothes and how many teats do the women cover if they do wear clothes?

All and all a great posting of races. I'm not trying to be nit-picky, just trying to imagine the questions players would ask me if I presented them with these races.

Logged

After a brief retirement while I got married and traveled the country, I'm back. Just getting back into the swing of things for now, but gearing up to hit things up like I used to.

Mmf. Good questions. I may end up starting a new topic for music. I think I'm going to have to think about that some more. Although I think the faeries would come closer to likeing the Smurfs theme. Heh.Um, lesse about the rest. I kind of envision goblins as d**n ugly little things (they were inspired by the Xanth goblins, actually. Maybe not quite so foul, though.) Spectrals... well, they are very large and brightly colored. I'm not quite sure about definitive facial features. It would be hard to mistake one for something else. There's just something hard to miss about a seven-and-a-quarter foot man who's bright blue.Um, I figure faeries could fly, but not for long distances. Like, maybe they could fly across the river, but not across the lake. And thinner atmospheres at high altitudes would be hard to manage. Interesting idea, about them cocooning. Might end up using that. Is neat. I really don't know about the centaurs. In the end, I suspect it'll take a lot more thought to get final answers to those questions. But that's why I posted the stuff. There's just so much I missed. By all means, if you have an idea, let 'er rip. Feel free to add anything you like.

I think that with the Fearies, they should be a sub-breed of a more neutral, more mysterious Fae Folk who come from a plane connected with and almost identical but wilder and less spoiled than the material plane. They should have a closer connection to nature, almost like their nature elementals or something like that.

You might use a race i made up called Ethwart(bird people). They came about when barbarians in the Hills developed bird like features. At a low level the Ethwart can only glide but later on they will be able to fly long distances.

Perhaps a roughly humanoid, sentient breed of reptiles - not really lizardmen, but close enough, preferring jungles and swamps because they tend to remain comfortably warm...

Logged

"I grab the sword!""Mmkay, you're dead.""What!?""You just grabbed the sword of the god you were just personally responsible for banishing from the world for the next ten thousand years. You just got zapped by around a billion volts of Angry Divine Power. You're dead."

This does seem to be quite a melodic world. Perhaps, there are those that treat music with disdain.

1) Garguan: These large humanoid beings that stand 7'0"-8'0" tall and weigh around 500 pounds;making them slow yet power- ful. They have no hair, and, their skin being a dark grey, appear to be rocks from far distances.

Garguan share a bond with ogres and trolls; for all their power, they are known to be docile and subserviant to them.

These beasts live on the bottoms of mountains, up to the highest alps. They do never seek shelter. Instead, they simply sleep in the elements; their enormous size provides them with all the warmth they need.

Garguans prefer a mostly slow and solitary existence, and are known to slip into a state of hibernation when for days, even weeks. And, they will migrate away from civilization, when it encroaches.

For some unusual reason, they are ignited into a fit of rage at the sound of music. They will quickly try to lash out at the culprets and then flee. If pursued, then they will fight to the death, but Garguan will not try to kill anyone with their initial outburst.

(I will write another idea soon)

Logged

Conan! What are three great things in life?

To crush your enemies; to have them flee before you, and to hear the lamenations of their women.

The Dryad kind are a type of faerie, (Faerie being the wide variety of all of the mist beings.) They have a connection to the trees, and have a magic of life. Their life is a one of solitude but all they live for is either the forest they occupy or their specific tree. They will drive away any threat of danger usingthe powers of the forest. They are masters of illusion, even to the faerie kind, since all they do is wish to scare threats away. They can be anywhere from the size of a sprite, either pure energy to half an inch tall, or even to the height of short elf, around four feet tall. The more powerful, or older, ones may take on characteristics of treants, having a skin that may be rough and have designs on it just as bark would, or hardened hair that doesn't move much. They might even grow leaves off of their body.

The sprites are the oldest of the mist races, being anywhere from an inch tall anywhere to the mocking imagery of their favorite beings put together, the funny and intelligent man, to the free and graceful butterfly. Of course they are quite quick with their movements, and are the pre-form of Fairies. They have the most powerful mystical magic(Not elemental), as they are the closest to the mist. They are entirely carefree and void of any negative emotions. They've no traditions, and live lives of complete freedom. Joy is their trait.

These are the fire elemental form of sprites. It's said that demons from a part of the world went about capturing sprites, and as they did they corrupted them and made them into powerfully destructive little things. Djinni are the same as sprites, and they can even be bigger, to the size of fairies. They have no emotion at all, unless captured, then they will show anger. The only thing that can hold them is glass, and with their power they will grant a wish to anyone who catches them to let them go. They aren't to be trusted at all. Some, more demonic forms of the djinn, look like very short imps, yet those are the twisted dark experiments of the demons. To capture a Djinn is worth it if the chance arises, but not worth dying for.

The water elemental beings of the faerie. They can be anywhere from the size of a fairy, about two inches tall, to the size of an elf. They enjoy their freedom and are nearly impossible to catch, as most can turn themselves into water at will.

One of the most rare of creatures. Their ancient nature grants them exceedingly superior wisdom, even though they are unstoppable juggernauts. They can be anywhere from human size to giant size, and in any size they have massive strength and intense abilities with magic. They are few and far between, and are never to be trusted. When you have nothing to fear, you have no reason to be kind.

These could just be stories of creatures that exist. Such as the Pegasus, a winged horse that can fly. Also, the almighty dragon god Bahamut, who encircles the universe as it is his egg. Another mention would be the Phoenix, which has incredible and amazing powers of life. Another would be Jormungundr, the giant snake that encircles all of Scandinavia(Or, to them, the world, which might be better to put.) Also, Leviathan, the giant sea serpent. (I think Jormungundr would own over Leviathan any day. Come on, Eyeballs of orbs of fire, acid breath, a tongue of fire...It's just, wow.) The bird dragon is also another legend I don't know much of. One of my favorites is the Great Rainbow Snake. Also the strange Unicorn with a twelve foot long horn, having different colored sections. Also, a red mane. There are also those yellow colored jackrabbits with red eyes that are pure evil. Many legends, and or myths.